Subtle Differences
by chocolatte-delight
Summary: A collection of KakaHina one-shots that have no place in my regular writing. Ch. 4: Kakashi had a system, of sorts, when dealing with young school girls and their exasperating school teacher crushes.
1. Secret Mission

A random KakaHina one-shot. Yeah...

I think this will be a collection of KakaHina one-shots that really have no place in my regular writing, lol. I just love that pairing... so yeah. You can expect it to be from different time periods, different ages, and... pretty much just random, unrelated one-shots will be in this collection. Mmhmm.

Summary: Naruto wonders whether Kakashi's gay and sets out on a mission to find out his type. He's utterly surprised to find that it's not blondes, not brunettes, not red-heads... but someone else entirely.

Rookie Nine: 19

Kakashi: 33

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

* * *

**Secret Mission**

Naruto yawned into his hand lazily and eyed the patrons of the hospital with teary eyes. _'I wonder when Sakura-chan will finish her shift…'_ He moved from his uncomfortable sitting position and leaned back into the thin couch. _'I'm so bored.'_

His eyes fluttered shut and stayed shut for a few minutes. Just as he felt the beginnings of blissful sleep begin to take over him, the loud resounding 'bang' of the hospital doors opening sharply made him jump up. With his heart beating rapidly against his rib cage, Naruto turned to face the loud entity. His eyes widened in shock when he saw a familiar shock of mussy silver hair.

"Eh? Kakashi?"

His former sensei turned slightly before catching sight of him and lifted up a hand. "Yo, Naruto."

Naruto walked towards him slowly. "What are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

Kakashi's eye crinkled as he raised his hand to plop it down on something behind him. Naruto tilted his head and finally caught sight of a small trembling body set on the service desk. Under Kakashi's hand was a messy comb of red curls.

Naruto grinned. "You're watching the Academy students?"

His former sensei nodded tiredly. "I have been for a week now. I'll be on duty until Iruka gets back from his Suna trip."

Naruto nodded in understanding. He'd been one of the few that had seen off Iruka for his mission in Suna. It had something to do with negotiating exchanging lesson plans or whatever.

A loud whimper erupted from behind Kakashi, making Naruto step a bit closer to see behind the tall, silver-haired man. Sitting on the desk top was a little boy, probably no older than eight, with tears in his eyes, a pout on his lips, and a cut on his arm that looked to have been inflicted by a kunai.

Naruto whistled at the sight. "Whoa, what happened, Kakashi?"

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair with a sheepish look in his eye. "Well… I kind of turned my back for a second… and then weapons went flying… and yeah."

Naruto laughed. "Gotcha. Well, Sakura-chan should be out in a minute or something."

Kakashi nodded and turned to the red-headed boy. "Your cut should be fine in a few minutes, Takashi."

The boy's pout widened. "Ehh? But… but… why did you take me to the hospital, Kakashi-sensei?"

A surprised look passed through Kakashi's eye before it was replaced with his usual lazy stare. "Hmm?"

The boy pointed at the cut on his arm with a soft glare. "Hinata-sensei could have fixed it up faster!"

"Oh," was the only thing Kakashi said, much to Naruto's amusement.

His curiosity piqued at the boy's words, Naruto spoke. "Hinata's working there too?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. As a temporary teacher to teach basic taijutsu."

"Hinata-sensei's the best!" declared the boy, Takashi, loudly, a dreamy look on his face. "She's so nice and she doesn't yell and she lets us work at our own pace and, and, and… She's so pretty," he finished with a goofy grin on his face.

Feeling a sudden urge to laugh, Naruto managed to hold it in when he caught sight of bright pink hair. "Oi, Sakura-chan! We got an injury over here!"

Sakura's emerald eyes widened at the sight of half of their team settled together as she made her way over the trio. "Hello, Kakashi," she said politely.

Kakashi nodded at her before turning to the boy. "Takashi, Sakura. Sakura, Takashi. Kunai cut," he said blandly, in as little words as possible.

Naruto felt his lips twitch at the man. _'He hasn't changed at all,'_ he thought with a broad grin. He watched as Sakura healed the boy's arm with a little chakra.

"There," said Sakura in a soothing tone, "your cut is fully healed."

Naruto watched the boy eye his healed arm suspiciously before he turned with pursed lips to inspect Sakura. "Thanks," he said shortly. Surprised at his rudeness to Sakura, and more than thoroughly annoyed by it, Naruto opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the boy's soft whispering into Kakashi's ear. "I still would have liked Hinata-sensei to fix it up for me."

He saw shock flit across Sakura's features, which quickly turned to an annoyed twitch in her left cheek. He decided that, for the safety of the bratty and unappreciative kid, getting her out of there as fast as possible would be the smartest idea at the moment. He gave himself a second to congratulate himself and patted himself on the back.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, how about our date? Let's go!"

Sakura turned to him, momentarily distracted by his words. Naruto saw Kakashi's eyebrow rise slightly and grinned. He grabbed Sakura's arm and practically dragged her out of the hospital.

"See you later, Kakashi!" he yelled behind him.

--

Naruto was just about to place his chopsticks in his mouth when a random thought occurred to him.

"I wonder if Kakashi's gay."

Hearing a choking sound coming from Sakura, Naruto quickly directed his attention to her. He was slightly amused to see her slamming her fist into her chest as she grabbed her glass of water and gulped it down.

"W-what?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes slightly teary.

Keeping his chuckles to himself in an act of self-preservation, Naruto folded his arms. "I wonder if Kakashi's gay," he repeated.

Sakura's eyes bulged out slightly before she sent him a strange look. "And why do you think that?" she asked in a lightly curious tone.

Naruto grinned. Now she was interested. "Cuz, like, do you ever see Kakashi out with women? At all?"

It was quiet at their table as Sakura contemplated this. Using this time to finish off his plate of barbeque, he shoved them in, wishing that it was ramen instead, cursing the fact that Sakura had deemed ramen as something one should not consume on a daily basis because of sodium content or whatnot.

"You know," said Sakura with a dazed look in her eyes, "You might be on to something."

Naruto nodded. "Now all we have to do is test this theory."

Sakura looked at him questioningly. "How are you going to do that?"

Feeling the familiar rush of exhilaration that always hit him when he was starting on an intricate plan or prank, Naruto grinned mischievously. "My first jutsu ever: sexy no jutsu!"

--

It was strange, thought Kakashi, how he kept seeing blonde, pig-tailed girls everywhere he went today. _'They look vaguely familiar,'_ mused Kakashi.

One of the pig-tailed girls sent him a laviscious wink, her other radiant blue eye fluttering prettily. Kakashi 'hmmed' before turning his attention back to his book, giggling when he read another one of Jiraiya-sama's dirty lines.

--

Naruto plopped himself down on Sakura's couch exhaustedly and rubbed his temples. _'None of my sexy attacks worked. None at all! I don't get how this could happen… unless Kakashi really _is_ gay.'_

He looked up when he heard the sound of a cup hitting wood. Sakura sat down next to him and stared at him with an expectant look on her face.

"Well, how'd it go?"

Naruto shook his head. "It didn't work. Everything I did… he didn't even bat an eye! He just kept his attention on that damn book of his!"

Sakura shook her head. "No, there must've been something wrong with what you did." He watched as her forehead scrunched together, a sure sign that she was thinking, and thinking hard. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "What transformation did you use?"

Naruto scratched the side of his face contemplatively. "Well, I guess my clothed pig-tails girl. But, I'm not sure what you're getting at."

Sakura hit him in the arm. "Idiot! You mean you just used one transformation all day? You have to be more creative than that, Naruto! What if blondes aren't his type? Obviously he wouldn't even spare a glance at your jutsu."

Feeling a sudden shock of horror hit him, Naruto cursed his stupidity, before pursing his lips and wracking his mind for another idea. _'So then, not blondes. That leaves brunettes, red-heads, black hair…'_ Naruto eyed Sakura's vivid pink hair before shaking his head quickly. _'No, no, no, no, and no. No.'_

Naruto closed his eyes as he ran through random images. _'Brunettes, huh…?'_

He grinned.

"What?" asked Sakura curiously.

"I've gotta see Konohamaru tomorrow."

--

"Wait… you're telling me to do _what,_ Naruto-niichan?"

Naruto chuckled at the sixteen-year old's confused look. "I'm telling you to do your sexy jutsu on Kakashi."

The younger teen nodded in understanding. "I get _that._ What I don't get is _why_ on Kakashi-san of all people.."

"Cuz, Konohamaru, I want to… test out how different hair colors affect… perverts," he finished lamely.

Konohamaru sent him a suspicious look but nodded his head. "Alright I'll do it. In return, you have to teach me the more powerful version of rasengan!"

Naruto grinned. "Deal."

--

Kakashi giggled pervertedly into his hand as he read one of Jiraiya's dirty one-liners that eventually led to sex, and more sex, and even more s-.

"Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi looked up from his book uninterestedly. "Hmm?"

When his eyes caught sight of a familiar head of indigo hair, his uninterested eye snapped to attention as he tried to make himself look like he was doing his job, only to fail miserably when he heard the sound of someone crying.

"I… I think Takashi-kun fell off the balancing pole," said the soft voice of Hyuuga Hinata.

Kakashi turned his head to look and, sure enough, Takashi had managed to land himself another injury. Holding back a sigh, Kakashi snapped his book shut and placed it into his weapons pouch.

"Thanks for informing me, Hinata," he said with a smile in his eye.

He was pleased to see a pink blush stain Hinata's pale cheeks. "N-not at all. I… I just thought I should tell you… since you're their teacher…"

"Yes, well," said Kakashi as he ruffled his hair. "Anyways, I think Takashi might have some injuries. You don't happen to have any knowledge on medical jutsu?"

The young woman nodded slowly. "Yes, a bit. I guess I'll go with you to go check on him…"

Kakashi grinned. "Greatly appreciated, Hinata."

--

"Ah, there! I see him, Naruto-niichan!"

Naruto scanned the crowded streets for silver hair, finding one heading in a familiar direction. "Alright. Let's follow him then."

--

"Ano, Sakura-san… I have a student that has broken an arm."

Emerald eyes widened in recognition. "Eh? Takashi-kun again?"

The red-haired boy pouted and turned his head to face Hinata. "Hinata-sensei, I'm fine. I'm a ninja," he said stubbornly.

Hinata giggled softly before shaking her head. "You may be a ninja, but it's best to fix your broken bones quickly or else you'll be a liability."

The boy nodded and released his death grip on his broken arm. He winced a little at the pain, but altogether managed to conduct himself well.

Kakashi watched the boy stick his tongue out at Sakura while Hinata's back was turned before turning into a little angel when she turned back around with a slightly amused eye.

'_She's too nice for her own good.'_

--

"Now! He's coming out of the hospital!" yelled Naruto frantically into his speaker.

"Roger."

Hearing a poof of smoke at Konohamaru's end, Naruto watched as Konohamaru set their plan into action from his perch on a roof across from the hospital.

He grinned when he saw Konohamaru's convincing display of tripping slightly, allowing his/her skirt to flutter up, showing off black lacy underwear, and giving the man a nice view of cleavage, brown hair flowing with the wind. It faltered when he saw Kakashi look at the boy/woman with a confused look in his eye before shrugging and turning his attention back to his book.

A static of electricity crackled into his ear piece. "Naruto-niichan. Plan failed."

"Damn."

--

The week passed by quickly for Naruto. He'd spent numerous hours crafting up devious plans to lure out Kakashi's sexual preference, only for them to fail with uninterested looks and nonchalant stares.

Naruto quietly cursed his former sensei's cool and detached attitude.

Just who or what did that man desire? Red-heads were out (Moegi proved that), brunettes weren't a choice, blondes had no effect, he was sure that Kakashi had never looked at Sakura that way... So… what other choice was there?

Naruto trudged through the dusty streets of Konoha gloomily, feeling despair settle over him. _'I wonder what Sakura-chan's doing…'_

He perked up when he spotted a familiar indigo head. "Eh? Hinata!" He waved his hand enthusiastically at the girl. Pale Hyuuga eyes widened when they caught sight of him and pink lips curved into a small smile.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," she greeted warmly.

Naruto smiled back, slightly surprised to not see any spotches of red cross her cheeks in their normal fashion, but wasn't too concerned about it.

"How are you?"

Hinata's smile widened. "I'm doing fine. You, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, I guess," he said glumly.

Hinata must've noticed his depressed state, for she quickly asked him why he was so down.

He pursed his lips. "Cuz..." He waved his hand sheepishly. "Never mind. It's embarrassing," he said with a smile.

Hinata stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded her head slowly. "I see… Well, if there is anything I can do to help, then please, just ask."

"Thanks, Hinata," said Naruto, a genuine smile tugging at his lips.

She nodded before saying goodbye with a friendly smile. Naruto watched her go, wondering why she was acting so… _different_ all of a sudden.

Those thoughts quickly passed when he felt a familiar chakra signature coming nearer. Sliding into a shadowed ally, Naruto watched Kakashi come out of a grocery store with a brown papered bag in one arm and his nose in his usual orange book.

He released a small pent-up sigh before slipping out of the alley and jumping onto the rooftops. Right now, he really couldn't stand the sight of that infuriating man. He stopped in his tracks when his sharp ears caught the sound of a soft giggle. Focusing his chakra to his hearing, he listened in on one of the most curious conversations he'd ever heard in his life.

--

"Oh? Hinata?"

Hinata looked behind her and was surprised to see Kakashi standing there, a friendly smile in his eye and a bag of groceries in his arms. Well, she noticed with a small blush, in _one_ arm, at least. His other arm was occupied with holding up an orange book to his face.

The book lowered though, and Hinata managed to see Kakashi's face… well, the mask that covered his face, at least.

"Hello, Kakashi-san."

The man smiled at her. "I didn't think I'd see you out here. Are you grocery shopping as well?"

Hinata giggled softly. "No, Kakashi-san. Actually, I came out here for medical supplies. Being so unprepared that day wasn't a good example of a shinobi at all," she said with a small frown.

Kakashi's book snapped shut as he placed it into his weapons pouch. He turned to her, a grin slightly visible in his eye, and said, "Really now, I don't think anyone expects you to carry around casts for broken bones in your medical pouch."

Hinata smiled slightly. "I know... but I decided to get one, just in case."

The silver-haired man chuckled before looking at the setting sun. "Have you eaten dinner yet, Hinata?"

"No, actually, I haven't," she said quietly.

The man grinned. "That's good." He looked at her with a questioning look in his eye. "Would you like to eat dinner with me?"

Visibly surprised by his question, she managed to stammer out a, "I g-guess... If you don't m-mind..."

"Of course not," said the man with a warm smile in his eye. "Or I wouldn't have asked."

She blushed at his kind words, and couldn't help but wonder... where this small dinner was going to lead. She couldn't deny the feelings that hoped it would lead to something... more.

--

_'So that's it...' _thought Naruto in awe as he leaped across the rooftops, one destination in mind. _'Not blondes, not brunettes, not red-heads... Indigo! And only one person has indigo hair.' _Naruto grinned. _'So it was Hinata, huh? I can't wait to tell Sakura-chan!'_

--

"So, Naruto," said Iruka between bites of ramen, "What happened while I was gone?"

Naruto shoveled down the last remaining noodles greedily before replying.

"Nothing much." His eyes followed a laughing couple as they walked into a bookstore. Pale Hyuuga eyes shone brightly as a gloved hand ran through her indigo strands. "Nothing much."

* * *

Not much romance, I know... but I guess I just have a strange mind-block towards romance or something... I guess it really has to do with my own likes. I loveee subtle touches to things. I don't particularly like it when the pairing is suddenly proclaiming their love towards each other when they hardly know each other. It's something I don't find believable. So... don't expect a whole lot of outright romance from me. Although, you can expect attempts at it. I do want to try out this genre, even if sometimes I can't wrap my mind around it.

Oh well, I do hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot. It came to me while I was working on my first few chapters of my new KakaHina fic. Heh :)


	2. Chapter 2

Another KakaHina oneshot.

Ages:

Rookie Nine: 20

Kakashi: 33

I seem to like writing the Naruto cast when they're at this age. It's fun to write them as adults, yet still write them retaining their strongest qualities :)

Summary: It was a mission-gone-wrong at its finest. When Kakashi comes home, it's with her bleeding to death in his arms.

* * *

This wasn't happening. It wasn't, it couldn't be, it shouldn't be.

He wasn't supposed to be holding this—hardly considered to be—young woman in his arms, watching her bleed to death. He wasn't supposed to be—_keep breathing, please, Kami, keep breathin_g—listening anxiously to her raspy breaths, praying that they weren't her last. He wasn't supposed to be sprinting towards Konoha's gates, all thoughts of their mission gone from his mind.

He wasn't supposed to be _alive_, damn it!

Ignoring the guards' alarmed shouts, he ran through the gates, his sole focus on one building in particular. _'I have to make it, I have to make it, I have to make it.'_

He jumped across the rooftops, his speed increasing when he saw the familiar red roof of the hospital. He flew in the doors, kicking them open fiercely, ignoring the startled gasps and indignant glares.

"I need Sakura, now," he practically growled to a nearby nurse.

There was a flurry of action as people took in the bloodied and unconscious body in his arms. The next few seconds passed by in a blur to Kakashi. All he saw were flashes of pink hair, white uniforms, and… He shivered. All the red, bright red blood, that his vest was soaked in, that his arms were coated with.

Sakura was shooting questions at him. He only barely managed to catch them, only barely managed to open his mouth to answer them.

"How long has she been bleeding like this?"

"Twelve minutes," he answered numbly.

They were practically running down the hall now, the stretcher's wheels squeaking in protest.

"What are her injuries from?"

"Multiple kunai cuts, sword lacerations… the enemy knew fire techniques." Kakashi gulped. "A stab to the chest immediately followed with a push from the enemy. When she fell, she hit her head against a jagged rock."

There was a shocked silence following his words before he heard Sakura mutter something to the nurses. "Inform the head trauma department to set up the instruments for brain scans. There is a high possibility of brain damage, at the very least, a cracked skull."

The hallway seemed impossibly long to Kakashi as he ran down it with the medical team, his own injuries forgotten in this frantic race against time.

"How did she get stabbed in the chest? Surely her byakugan should've caught the attack, allowing her to at least partially block it?" asked the nasal tone of a snot-nosed man-nurse.

They were nearing the emergency room now. Kakashi knew that, but… _"How did she get stabbed in the chest? Surely her byakugan should've caught the attack…"_

"It did." Kakashi swallowed dryly. "I was preoccupied fighting the higher-level enemy and didn't sense his partner creeping up on me. When I finally did… it was too late." He watched them set her on the operating table from the doorway. Just before the door was closed in his face, he managed to finish. "She pushed me out of the way, taking the attack in the worst possible position."

The door shut, the sign that an emergency operation was in process beeping.

Kakashi breathed in shakily, feeling his body beginning to grow numb. _'That's right… That guy's needles were poisoned.'_

His vision swam and he swayed on his feet. He leaned heavily against the walls for support, not yet ready to let this blissful darkness overcome him.

_'She's safe right? She's safe… right?'_

Exhaustion from his intense battle, coupled with his poisoned cuts, brought a relaxing, and almost welcomed, darkness over him.

* * *

_'Hinata...'_

_"Kakashi-san, you must be tired."_

_Kakashi smiled at the concern on the young woman's face. "I'm fine, really."_

_The woman bit her lip lightly; Kakashi couldn't help but eye the movement closely. He stared at it for a while before he realized that she was talking to him._

_"Ano..." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "What were you saying, Hinata?"_

_Hinata shook her head before giggling softly. "You must be really tired if you're dozing off like that."_

_He chuckled. "It comes with old age."_

_The indigo-haired woman frowned. "You're not old, Kakashi-san. Just... older."_

_Kakashi grinned. "Nice way to put it, Hinata-chan."_

_Hinata blushed at the endearment in her name before hurriedly turning away to busy herself with cleaning off the medical supplies littered all over their shared bed. Kakashi leaned back heavily against the bed post, his grin widening at her cute reaction. He shifted slightly and winced when he strained one of his new injuries. Feeling his grin fade away into a frown, Kakashi contemplated on how they were going to proceed with their mission._

_'I'm already injured... and we haven't even reached the enemy's base yet.'__ Kakashi watched Hinata put away the medical supplies before turning around, only to blush darkly when she caught sight of him, shirtless and bandaged. She quickly muttered an excuse about going to check if the inn owners had found another room for them and left._

_Kakashi watched her leave, a slight smile on his face. 'Well, whatever happens, we'll manage.'_

Kakashi's eyes snapped open.

_'Where... am I?'_

Closing his Sharingan eye, he scanned the white, spotless room, his eye landing on the beeping monitor next to him.

_'Oh... at the hospital again.'_

He shut his eye wearily before quickly opening it again.

_'Hinata!'_

He pulled himself up, only to feel his body freeze up in pain. He fell backward, breathing heavily, as waves of pain coursed through his body. Immediately following the pain was an icy coldness that numbed his body, numbed his mind. One thought broke through it, though.

_'I have to get to Hinata... That guy... He... He's going to kill her!'_

With shaking limbs, he pushed himself up, forcing himself to move. With his teeth chattering violently, he managed to stand upright, although he was using his bed as a support. He eyed the distance to the door with decisive eyes and took a step. His legs shook uncontrollably but, with force of mind, he lifted his other foot. He managed to take another step before swaying suddenly.

_'Damn it... I'm not going to make it.'_

He hit the floor painfully, the tiled floors cold against his unmasked cheek. He winced when he felt a warm liquid pooling around him.

_'I think I reopened one of my wounds,'_ he thought dully, feeling a bit woozy from the amount of energy it had taken him to take those three steps.

"Kakashi-sama!" screeched someone just as darkness, yet again, claimed him.

* * *

_"Kakashi-san... Do you think we'll make it?"_

_He jumped off to the side to avoid a weak area in the branch before answering the girl's anxious question. "They wouldn't harm Tonoshi-san. He's an important swordsmith to these rogue ninja."_

_It was quiet the rest of the way, both wrapped up in their own worries. Just as they reached a clearing, however, Hinata voiced another question, one that had been weighing on both their minds._

_"W-what about Hikari-chan?"_

_Kakashi almost missed the next branch, but managed to get a hold on himself._

_"The swordsmith's daughter will most likely be killed... or worse."_

_There was a sharp inhale of breath as the young woman as she contemplated the worse aspect of it._

_A young, healthy teen held captive by a bunch of grubby men wasn't something one wanted to think about._

_"But they have samurai in their group, so maybe Hikari has a chance. Samurai abide by their bushido fiercely."_

_He hadn't meant for those words to escape his lips, but they had. _

_Hinata's face lit up brightly at his words. "Y-you're right. I'm sure she'll be fine."_

_He didn't have the heart to tell her that these particular samurai had killed their own rulers in a revolt; killing or raping a young teen wasn't something far off their ball park. _

_But... he didn't have the courage to face her depressing face, either. _

_He liked her soft smile so much more._

* * *

It was dark, thought Hinata. She stepped through the darkness cautiously, her sharp eyes and finely honed ears concentrating on everything around her.

Nothing.

_'Where... am I?'_

A small beam of light suddenly appeared at her feet. Feeling hope start to fill her, Hinata followed the increasingly bright light through, what she could now make out, a dark tunnel. The light was getting brighter and brighter... and... and...

**x-x-x**

_Kakashi watched the father and daughter escape into the hidden passageway grimly. Most likely, they would make it out of here, securing their mission. _

_He turned back to face the duo that had cornered them. _

_"So, Hatake Kakashi, what will you do now?" sneered the taller one._

_Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly and lifted up his headband. "Kill you, I guess."_

_Beside him, he saw Hinata shiver slightly. He placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling his heart skip a beat when she focused her moonstone eyes on him, an anxious look in them._

_"They'll be fine, Hinata. All we have to do now is defeat these guys, and their way home will be safe."_

_He felt a sense of satisfaction flood him when she nodded resolutely._

_"Thank you, Kakashi-san," he heard her whisper as she activated her byakugan._

_"You're welcome," he said simply as he dodged the metal fist aimed for his face. "I guess I'll take..." He appeared behind the taller ninja. "This one."_

_From the corner of his eye, he saw Hinata nod slightly as she grabbed the short-statured man's fist to throw him out into the clearing. He smiled and faced his opponent. "So, let's get started then."_

Kakashi groaned slightly as he opened his eye to bright light.

_'Too... bright...'_

"I see you're awake, Kakashi," said a familiar voice.

Kakashi blinked away the bright dots to focus on the owner of said voice. "Hokage-sama?" he said hoarsely.

"Mmhmm. Now, seeing as how you're awake, would you care to tell me of your mission?" asked the busty, straight-to-the-point blonde.

Swallowing dryly, Kakashi weakly lifted a hand to push up his mask. As soon as he felt the familiar feel of sleek fabric against his cheeks, he relaxed. "Sure."

"Water?" asked another familiar voice.

Kakashi stared blankly at the Hokage's assistant, Shizune, was it? and nodded. He took the proffered glass and gulped it greedily and quickly. As he drank, Tsunade went over the mission details.

"A-rank protection mission. Pretty straightforward, I'd say," groused the Hokage. "So then what the hell happened during this 'A-rank' mission, that brought two of my shinobi back half-dead?"

Kakashi coughed as some water went down the wrong tube. As soon as his passageway cleared, he spoke. "A-rank, yes. Some information was withheld, however. The swordsmith neglected to mention that he had shinobi _and_ samurai chasing him down."

There was a shocked silence following his words, forcibly reminding him of another one that had occurred not too long ago...

"Hinata?" he asked in a slightly panicked voice. "How is she?"

He stared at the Hokage as an expression of surprise crossed her face, instantly followed by a smug smirk. "Well..." she drawled out, not missing the narrowed glare he sent at her, "She's in a stable condition right now."

Her assistant spoke up from her place behind her. "You and Hinata have been in a coma for about four days now. The enemy's poison was a slow agent, but deadly still. We managed to get it out of your system and come up with an antidote, though. Hinata's situation, however..." She looked at her clipboard before looking up. "The sword pierced through one of her minor arteries, but Sakura managed to spot it in time, and it was quickly healed. She got a fractured skull, however..." Shizune bit her lip. "We healed all visible injuries but... we're not sure how this will affect her brain."

Kakashi sat there in stunned silence, not sure if he could believe his ears. All that blood... all those painful, rasping breaths of hers... Death had come so near to her... yet it had been delayed with a few healing techniques.

_'Thank Kami,'_ he thought in relief.

"Interesting how you're so worried about her," said Tsunade in a deceptively casual voice. "Just how _long_ was this joint mission of yours?"

Kakashi answered dryly. "Three months."

"Oh?" remarked the Hokage with a thoughtful expression on her face, the image marred by the small smirk on her lips. "A lot can happen in three months."

Kakashi couldn't quite disagree with that thought.

* * *

Hinata's eyes opened sharply. A soft light made her blink.

She turned her head slightly towards the light, wincing when she felt her neck pop. She craned her neck downward to look at her body, startled to see so many bandages covering her.

"Oh? You're awake?"

Hinata's eyes, which had unfocused as she assessed her aching body, snapped to attention, stopping on a bright yellow ponytail.

"Ino-chan?" she rasped out.

The young medic-nin smiled brightly. "You _are_ awake!" she exclaimed joyously. She jotted down something in the clipboard in her hands before walking towards her. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain or anything?"

Hinata contemplated her question before replying. "I'm... thirsty."

Ino nodded. "Obviously. You've been in a coma for about a week and a half now," she said as she grabbed the pitcher of water on a table, pouring its liquid drops into a cup. Hinata watched as the clear liquid filled up the cup closely. She licked her dry and cracked lips, grimacing at the sour taste in her mouth.

"Here you go, Hinata!" said Ino as she placed the cup against her parched lips. Hinata drank the water greedily, loving the way it slid down her throat, quenching her of her thirst. When she finally drank her fill, Ino's words suddenly registered in her mind.

"C-coma?" she stammered out.

Ino placed the cup on the table and turned to her, nodding. "Yeah, for about a week and a half now."

Hinata sat there, speechless.

Coma? She'd never been in a coma before... Just how serious had her injury been?

_'Injury...'_

Her fingers wandered up slowly to her heavily bandaged chest, probing slightly. She winced when she poked a rather tender spot.

"How did I get this?" she asked quietly.

Ino, who had been rambling about something or other, looked at her in surprise. "Eh?" Her aquamarine eyes took in her hand's position before they widened slightly. "Oh..." The blonde bit her lip before asking her, "You... you don't remember?"

Hinata shook her head. All she could remember was setting out for her mission, and... Spiky, silver hair in disarray and a lazy, coal black eye passed through her mind.

"Kakashi-san?" she almost yelled. "Kakashi-san? How is he?"

Ino's eyes widened in surprise. "Kakashi?... He's fine," she answered slowly. Her eyes silently appraised her. "Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

"No... everything's a blank," murmured Hinata as she processed in this fact. Kakashi was ok, he was alright, he wouldn't die, and she wouldn't be heart-broken, and... and...

_'Wait...'_ Hinata's eyes widened in shock. _'Why am I so worried about Kakashi-san?'_

"Sakura did say that there could be repercussions from that bonk on her head," she heard Ino mutter.

Hinata looked at the blonde curiously. "What?"

The blonde smiled cheesily before shaking her head. "N-nothing!" Her smile widened. "Nothing at all!"

Hinata could honestly say that she had never heard such an obvious lie.

"Alright..."

* * *

"Memory loss... Most likely due to post-traumatic amnesia," murmured Sakura.

Tsunade folded her hands together and placed them on her desk. "I see..." She stared at her student sharply. "And you are saying that she recognizes everyone... yet cannot seem to recall what happened during her mission?"

Her pink-haired student nodded. "Yes. We questioned her and she knew everything that had led up to that mission, all the way to leaving the village gates. Yet..." Sakura looked at her in the eyes, a confused look in them. "Yet, she doesn't remember what happened at all during the mission."

Tsunade nodded. "I see," she repeated.

She placed her head in her hands.

"Kakashi's not going to be happy," she muttered.

"Eh? What?"

Tsunade looked up sharply, a fake smile on her lips. "Nothing."

Her student eyed her suspiciously before she nodded. "Ok... Well, I'm going to go check on Hinata. These past few days have been tough on her."

Tsunade nodded her dismissal.

"Good luck."

* * *

Hinata smiled at all her friends' joyous reactions to her waking up. They were all crowded around her bed, each jostling each other or hitting elbows against another's in the small hospital room, yet all wouldn't let her out of their sight for some reason.

"Hinata! I'm so glad you're back!" yelled Kiba enthusiastically. Outside her window, Akamaru barked.

Beside her, Shino nodded. "Yes, I am glad that even though you ran into some difficulties, you managed t-"

"Hinata-san! Your youth runs wildly through your veins! I admire you, Hinata-san!"

"It's rude to interrupt when a person is talk-"

"I heard you saved Kakashi-san! That's like, so cool!"

"Tenten-san, did you not hear me? To interrupt a person is ru-"

"Ne, Hinata, I heard you went to Tea Country. They specialize in seafood. Did you get to eat any? I'm so jealous..."

"Chouji-san, have you not heard anything I said? It's rude t-"

"Troublesome as it is, I've got to head out n-"

"I said that it is rude to inter-"

"Man, Shino, I didn't think you were so rude. Sheesh, interrupting people when they're talking."

Hinata couldn't hold back her giggles anymore when she saw Shino get reprimanded. Her heavily clothed teammate's sunglasses glinted dangerously before he turned around to sulk in his corner. She didn't miss the smug look on Shikamaru's face as he left the room, sending her a half-hearted wave.

_'It's good to be back,' _she thought with a grin.

She looked at her friends that were in her room and her grin couldn't help but grow into a bright smile. Yet... when she smiled... why did her heart feel so down? Why did... she want to, so badly, see a head of spiky silver hair in her room too?

* * *

_'Amnesia, huh?'_ mused Kakashi from his perch outside the Hokage's window. _'And she doesn't remember the mission at all?...'_

He leaped off the rooftop and jumped through the village, one destination in mind.

_'Well, we'll have to remedy that.'_

__**x-x-x**

Hinata could walk now, albeit with shaky limbs and sore muscles. She leaned heavily against the hospital wall and mentally recalled how much ground she had covered today.

_'I made it past the children's ward today... That's farther than yesterday,'_ thought Hinata proudly. She stared at the long hallway in front of her. _'And... now I have to go back.'_

Deciding to take a breather before facing down the long hallway, Hinata thought back to Sakura's words.

_'I'm sure that your memories will come back eventually. Seeing as how you can still remember everyone and everything about being a ninja, I'm thinking that hitting your head against that rock just made your memories disappear for a while. I'm sure that seeing more interesting sights than this dull hospital will jog back some memories.'_

And now it had become a mission to her: regain strength to her poorly used muscles and find out what happened during her mysterious mission with Kakashi.

Hinata breathed in slowly before steeling her resolve. _'Ok, I'll make it back before Tanaka-san starts her afternoon rounds!'_

She let go of the wall and took a confident step forward... only for her knee to buckle weakly under her weight. The world tilted as Hinata began to fall forward. Lifting her hands weakly to block at least some of the now-menacing looking hospital floors, Hinata closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. Only to feel an arm slink around her waist to pull her back up.

As the world tilted back to its regular dimensions, she collided with a warm chest, its solidness making her blush. Hinata lifted her head slowly, wondering who her savior was... only for her eyes to widen in shock when she saw a familiar lop-sided forehead protector with spiky silver bangs falling over it.

"K-Kakashi-san?" she stammered out.

"Yo, Hinata-chan," a smile visible in his dark eye.

The sky was an endless pool of blue, not a cloud in sight. A breezy wind blew teasingly, its soft winds sending her hair flying about. She stared at the wide open vacant rooftop as she bit her lip quietly.

She turned to look at the smiling man beside her before averting her gaze when he turned to look at her. Instead, she focused her gaze on the white bed sheets swaying with the wind. Hinata swung her feet loosely in her seat on the bench, enjoying the way the breeze hit her cheek.

"Do you like it up here?"

Hinata looked at the man quietly before nodding. "Yes, it's... peaceful. I didn't think such a place in this hospital existed," she murmured.

Kakashi chuckled. "I know what you mean. I end up here half my missions. It does get rather dull."

Hinata smiled. "I understand."

"It's time off in the worst possible form," said Kakashi lightly.

Hinata laughed at Kakashi's words, feeling a slight hint of truth in his words. She leaned back in her seat, letting her solid indigo hair fall back, and stared up at the cloudless sky in wonder.

_'Since when did I feel so... comfortable... in Kakashi-san's presence?'_

"Hinata..."

Hinata turned her head curiously to look at Kakashi, only to find herself transfixed by the way his single eye stared intensely into hers, his normal lazy look absent. The silver-haired man lifted a hand and ran his fingers through her hair slowly, gently. Hinata shivered at his touch and found that she couldn't look away from his piercing gaze.

"Hinata," murmured the man again. He twisted a lock of her hair in between his fingers and rubbed his thumb lightly against a few strands. "I know that you don't remember what happened during our mission, but..." Hinata couldn't see it, but she knew from the way his mask creased slightly and the way his eye turned downward, that Kakashi was frowning. "I do." He released her hair and withdrew his hand, running it through his own silver spikes with a small sigh as he broke their gaze to lean back in his seat. "I remember all the running we did, all the fights we got into with random rogue ninja. I remember your amazing medical expertise... I remember all the laughs we had, usually at your expense."

Hinata blushed darkly at his words. Her blush deepened when she saw Kakashi's eye crease into an amused smile. "And..." he said hesitantly, his dark eye peering at her from the corner of his eye. "I remember your silly giggles, your pink blushes, your soft smiles..." He turned to look at her, his eye curved slightly. "Those things about you... I'll never forget."

Hinata sat there in stunned silence. Just what did Kakashi m-

A pair of warm lips suddenly covered hers in a soft, chaste kiss. Her chapped lips opened slightly in surprise, shock... and, instinctively... her lips pressed firmer against his.

Her eyes slowly closed as she sat there and relished the feel of Kakashi's lips moving against hers, shivering when he deepened the kiss.

_'...so that's what he meant.'_

* * *

"What? Her memory's returned?" Tsunade heard the table crunch under her as she clenched it in shock, but ignored it. "How?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea, Tsunade-shishou. All I know is that yesterday, she came up to me and asked if she could leave, since there was no need of keeping her there anymore."

Tsunade contemplated her student's words thoughtfully. "You say... they suddenly returned?"

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes..." Her pink-haired student sent her a questioning look. "Is it something to be surprised about? It was just temporary memory loss anyways."

Tsunade shook her head. "You're right, but..." She released her grip on her desk, ignoring the splinters in her fingers. "I find that there is something incredibly fishy about this."

Her eyes narrowed when she heard a familiar poof outside her window.

"Yo, reporting for duty," said a bored voice.

She turned around to face her window, not at all surprised to see a familiar head of silver hair.

"Kakashi?" she heard Sakura say in surprise.

"Yo, Sakura," said Kakashi, not sparing her a glance. "Sorry, I'm late. Got lost in-I mean, lost on, the path of life."

Tsunade stared at the man who had his masked nose in a green Icha Icha book and felt a smirk begin to grow on her lips.

"No missions for you," she said haughtily, her smirk growing when she saw him look up from his book in surprise. "You're dismissed from any and all missions for two weeks." Her smirk grew into a full blown out grin from the visible shock in his eye. "So why don't you spend it with Hinata? Maybe you can help her recall the _rest_ of her memories... or at the very least, make some more. If you know what I mean."

Evidently, the man knew what she meant, for he left her office in a quick poof, a look of deep thought on his face. Tsunade watched him leave, feeling a bit sorry for Hinata.

She knew that look from her many years as an active ninja. It was the look Jiraiya had adopted when he was thinking up one of his perverted schemes.

_'Konoha's filled with perverts.'_

"Ano... Tsunade-shishou? What did you mean about Kakashi and Hinata? Surely, you aren't imp-"

Tsunade smirked when she heard her student gasp in understanding.

_'I wonder how much Genma and Raidou will bet for Kakashi getting together with a kunoichi in say... a week or two?'_

* * *

Dunno what you guys will think of this, but I've been wanting to write a fic with the slightly dramatic beginning for a while now. It didn't quite turn out how I wanted it to go, but I figure that this works. Eh.

I've been working on this for a few days now, yet never got the chance to finish it quite a lot of the time. School, life, curfew, driver's ed, etc. wouldn't permit. Ah well. Hopefully I can get started on a new chapter for **A Different Perspective **now :)


	3. Scattered Thoughts

A fluffy one-shot :)

* * *

**Scattered Thoughts**

The gentle splashing of water breaks through the calm of the night, disrupting the silence that had settled slowly as the night passed. Drops splatter against the surface, creating a steady rhythm of _splish-splash_. A foot glides across the surface, creating only the slightest of disruption on the surface. Hands fly up, fighting, _defeating_, various enemies, each in the form of a shimmering water droplet.

A petite form dances across the surface, moonlight illuminating pale cheeks, soft curves, determined eyes. Gracefulness is displayed in the fluid taijutsu steps; strength is mixed in with the flow of her pirouetting body that lands softly on the surface, only to swiftly strike each and every one of the water droplets.

For every drop of water that flows around her, it is double the number that returns to the water's surface.

An elegant dance is spun, the intense taijutsu hidden by the beauty that is displayed in every one of her graceful movements. Growing tresses of indigo hair are thrown back, the slightest hint of a smile on her porcelain face.

It's the first time Kakashi has ever thought of the young Hyuuga heiress as…

_Beautiful._

In silent agreement, the moon casts its gentle rays on the Hyuuga girl, kissing her cheeks, caressing her bare arms.

**x-x-x**

The village is bustling with excited people, each going on about how the Daimyo of Fire Country is visiting, bringing his reputedly handsome son along with him. There are hushed whispers of a formal ceremony introducing his son and talks of "looking for a bride" are whispered between giggling clan head wives.

Kakashi pays it no mind, too immersed in Jiraiya's novel, the only thing that keeps his attention nowadays, besides the random mission and intense training sessions.

A familiar head of dark indigo passes by, disappearing into a sweets store.

His eye involuntarily follows it, slightly disappointed when it vanishes from his limited sight. He immediately perks up when he sees the owner of the indigo hair step out of the shop, a smile on her face and a sweet treat in her hands.

It's only when she bumps into a young man that Kakashi realizes that he hasn't once opened his book since taking it out of his pocket.

His book is very nearly crushed in his grip when he hears her giggle as the young man licks the sticky treat off his fingers, waving away her rushed apologies with a grin.

When he hears the clan head wives speak of marriage between the Fire Lord's son and a daughter of one of Konoha's prestigious clans, he immediately sprints off towards the direction of the Hyuuga compound.

He almost sighs in relief when he sees that the famous ceremonial flags that signify a marriage in the clan aren't raised.

"K-Kakashi-sensei? W-what are you doing h-here?"

Kakashi put away his book and smiled.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to get some dango together."

A surprised look flitters across her face before being replaced with a crimson blush.

"S-sure?"

That's the first time Kakashi has seen such a pretty blush cross the shy girl's face.

**x-x-x**

When he sees how she stammers and blushes darkly around his blonde-haired student, a fist clenches painfully, hidden inside the creases of his pocket.

He swears he sees Jiraiya smirk, a knowing look in his eyes, when he practically pushes Naruto out the door. An excuse is quickly mumbled under his breath, somehow placating the loud-mouthed boy's yelling.

Kakashi's glad, because he has no idea what he said.

He'd say anything, though, so long as he gets the blonde away from the blushing girl.

Kakashi almost stops in his tracks, only inches away from the closed Hokage's door, when he realizes that this is the first time jealousy has directed any of his actions.

It's only when the lightest hint of lavender brushes against his nose that Kakashi knows why.

**x-x-x**

It's dark when he enters the village gates, a bloody Naruto in his arms, a staggering Tenzou on his left.

He enters the hospital, its familiar sterile scent welcoming. Quick hands take the bleeding form of his student. Kakashi almost slumps over in relief when the weight is released from his arms.

He didn't think he could stand hearing the boy mutter, "Sasuke, Sasuke," anymore.

His wounds are treated quickly, none of them severe. He's ordered a week of bed rest, though, not that he is surprised.

"You used your Sharingan too much, Kakashi," explains Sakura.

He nods and tells her to tend to Naruto, amazed at the speed she leaves; the door is almost wrenched off its hinges at the frantic way she opens it.

The door closes shut, thankfully still intact.

Kakashi leans his head back, his mind drifting to distant places filled with the refreshing scent of lavender mixed with clear water and a curvaceous goddess dancing gracefully on the water's surface.

He's startled to hear the door open. Timid steps patter in, the soft inhale and exhale of a person's breath making his heart speed up.

He knows this familiar step pattern, that hesitant way her lips draws in air…

"Hinata?"

Pale lavender eyes stare fearfully at his chest. Kakashi looks down, laughing slightly when he sees the bandages covering his upper chest.

"A-are you ok?"

"Of course," he answers smoothly.

The rest of the shy girl's visit is spent in silence. It's an odd kind of silence, though. For some reason, he feels his heart start to beat in time with her soft breaths. For some reason, a strange sense of peace is filling his chest, making him feel warm.

"I'm sorry I'm so b-boring," he hears her mutter in a small voice as soft footsteps inch towards the door.

Was she leaving him?

Fear fills him, replacing the utter serenity that had been embracing him.

"You're not," he whispers hoarsely. "You're not boring at all."

When he sees her stop, a shocked look on her pale face, Kakashi smiles slightly.

"So don't ever worry about that, not when you're with me."

He considers it an accomplishment when she sits back down on the visitor's seat, a small smile on her lips.

**x-x-x**

Kakashi doesn't know when it happened, but something had changed in his life.

No longer did his life center around the memorial stone, missions, and Icha Icha Paradise.

His eye always trace her figure, his fingers always twitch in longing. His lips always curve into smiles when he sees her blushing cheeks, his heart always feels empty when she leaves on months-long missions with her team.

Something's changed in his life, all having to do with the protesting young woman in his arms, crushed against his chest.

"K-Kakashi... W-what are you doing? We're in front of the g-gates. Everyone's l-looking at u-mmphf!"

It's no longer the mind-numbing pages of erotica that occupies his mind, nor the life-risking missions he partakes in... it's the taste of her lips, the feel of her hair, the warmth of her body against his that he finds himself craving for, desperately so.

He devours her lips in front of everyone, sending out the hint that Hinata was his, not some Fire Lord's son, not some blonde idiot's, not the Hyuuga clan's.

_His._

Besides, judging from the way Hinata tentatively deepens the kiss, she missed him too.

* * *

Rather vague, I suppose, but I thought a fic where Kakashi realizes his feelings would be utterly adorable and fun to write.

It was :)

Hope you guys enjoyed!


	4. Innocence

An AU high school KakaHina fic :) Those kind of fics have always had an interesting appeal to me, so I wanted to try my hand at it. Rather than focusing on the classes and school life, though, I want to write about how their feelings develop in the modern society.

Well, I do hope you enjoy my attempt :)

* * *

**Innocence**

Kakashi had a system, of sorts, when dealing with young school girls and their exasperating school teacher crushes.

"_You don't love me—you love the idea of a handsome older man loving _you_."_

"_You're young, I'm old. This will never work."_

"_You're living in a fantasy world with a fantasy crush. I'm sorry, but this isn't a fantasy."_

School girls had a silly notion that falling in love with a handsome male teacher was part of a normal high school love life. Kakashi really wanted to strangle the person that had come up with that particular idea.

Didn't they have any idea how society viewed the teachers in those kind of relationships? As sick, perverted men who just wanted to fulfill their kinky sexual fantasies.

A hormonal girl just out of puberty stuck in a short skirt with knee-high socks wasn't Kakashi's idea of "appealing."

Kakashi stared at the blushing brown-haired girl in front of him, a sigh on the verge of escaping his lips.

"You don't love me," he said bluntly. The girl looked up at him, shock written all over her expression.

"I-I do, sensei! Honestly… I love you!"

As if to prove this, she thrusted a flower-print envelope into his unwilling hands, her blush coming back full-force.

"Everything's written in the letter, Sensei. I lo-"

"It's better not to say that so many times," said Kakashi as he threw the envelope back into the girl's arms, speaking over the girl's loud protest. "You'll really fool yourself into thinking that you love me."

He was being rather harsh, he supposed, as he walked back into the school doors, but that girl had been one of the more persistent ones. Her obsessive crush had bordered on stalker/insane psycho. It had gotten to the point that if he looked over his shoulder, he would always see her wide brown eyes staring back at him.

Suppressing a shiver, Kakashi walked into the teacher's lounge, hoping for a cold drink to wash away the weariness settling in his limbs. Settling into a soft sofa, Kakashi leaned back in the seat, enjoying the way the cold drink numbed his fingers and the quiet peace the nearly empty school provided.

It was at times like this that he wished he had a small book in his hands. In particular, the one sitting on his kitchen table. But no, Kakashi thought with a sigh, reading such hard-core erotica at school would probably invite people and their rumors. There were already plenty going around, all having to do with the girls and their insane crushes on him. Being a teacher was really starting to be a nuisance. If he gave up now, though, Obito would probably laugh at him from the heavens above.

Kakashi didn't really want to think about how divine mockery would feel like.

Sighing, Kakashi heaved himself off the increasingly comfortable couch and walked out of the room, hoping that the halls would already be empty so he wouldn't have to deal with any… school-girl confessions, or Kami forbid, school-_boy_ crushes.

Scanning the hallways and finding their emptiness satisfactory, Kakashi decided to make a stop in his classroom for his bag and jacket. Loosening his tie and unbuttoning his top few buttons—Kakashi thought it would be fine since no one was around—he turned the corner, his hand just about to slide the door open…

"I love you."

Good Kami, those words _again_.

But thankfully, this time around they weren't directed towards him.

"Y-your words have always inspired me... Always. I-I... almost went the wrong way... but... your determination was s-so strong. Your optimism a-and stubbornness... Your smile saved me."

It was a heart-warming confession, Kakashi had to give the girl that. The soft stuttering voice behind the door, the faintest hint of wistfulness in them... Kakashi had to say that this confession had a quality to it that so many of the ones directed towards him had all lacked.

_Tenderness.  
_

"I... love you. I always have… _Naruto-kun._"

It was quiet on the other side of the door for the next few minutes, save for the girl's loud breathing, hesitance in every breath. Coming to the conclusion that a rejection was quite near, Kakashi decided to help the girl save face.

Sliding open the door, Kakashi nonchalantly walked in, trying to school his features into one of shock at seeing two young teens with heavily blushing cheeks facing each other and-

His single eye scanned the room, surprised to see only one occupant in it.

A petite girl with a curvaceous frame, looking to be a junior or senior, was staring at him in shock, her pale lavender eyes contrasting sharply with her inky indigo hair. A pale hand flew up to her mouth to keep in a surprised 'eep' and a blush instantly colored her porcelain cheeks.

"K-Kakashi-s-sensei! I-I d-didn't..." The girl fumbled with her words, her blush deepening with every passing second.

As the situation processed in Kakashi's mind, he felt his cheeks start to heat up, just the slightest. Rather than helping the girl save face, he'd actually worsened the whole situation.

Really now, who confessed... to no one?

"It's a surprise to see anyone still here, Hyuuga-san," he said in a light voice, trying to make the best of the... situation he had unwittingly landed himself in.

"Y-yes..." The girl's cheeks started to recede to her normal pale color as she scrambled around her desk, picking up her things. She gasped when she accidentally knocked over her pencil case, spilling out its contents.

Kakashi walked over to her and helped her pick up the assortment of pencils and pens. "Here you go."

Pale, pearly eyes stared into his own dark one, making his widen slightly. He felt his breath hitch in his throat at the color of emotions in them: embarrassment, surprise, and the faintest hint of curiosity. The way they gazed so intensely into his... He felt his heart beats gradually slow, beating in time with the inhale and exhale of his breaths.

And then the gaze was broken as the girl bowed her head, dark bangs covering her face.

"T-thank you," he heard her murmur just as she rushed out of the door.

For the first time, he felt his gaze follow a young teen girl's form, one fourteen years his junior.

**x-x-x**

If someone were to ask Kakashi how his week had been, his reply would be a faint, "Good."

If that someone were to press on for more detail, Kakashi would only have a shrug of his shoulders to answer them, because quite honestly, he had no recollection of this past week's events. Only the vaguest memory of pale, blushing cheeks and beautiful, opalescent eyes drudged through the filters of his mind.

_Beautiful, _was something that had ran through his mind quite often this past week, though.

That particular word had chosen to show up at the most inopportune of moments for Kakashi. A shuffle of papers at his desk would make him look up, only to see a familiar, blushing face. He would turn around from the black board, in the process of explaining some of the finer aspects of his subject, only to stop in the middle of his sentence, captivated by the sight of indigo strands shimmering down small shoulders and the way pale fingers cupped around a delicate chin. A bump of the shoulders and he would find himself apologizing, only to stop in the middle of it, an expression of mute shock on his face as he stared into deep, endless pools of pale lavender eyes.

Needless to say, he'd received some strange looks from Hyuuga Hinata this past week.

Kakashi couldn't help it, though, this strange curiosity that bubbled up in him at the sight of the petite girl. He found himself admiring her smooth gracefulness that her clumsy steps always managed to conceal, the way a shy smile would always flit across her delicate features, and the way her eyes could focus so intensely on something... or someone.

It was a mystery to him how Uzumaki could miss that beautifully intense gaze that was always focused on him, relaying utter adoration and an underlying hint of fondness, heightened by the soft giggles that would emanate from her pink lips at his antics.

Kakashi knew that if _he_ had that look focused on him, he'd do anything to make it increase tenfold.

He wanted to know what it felt like, being on the receiving end of such a loving gaze.

_A love so pure..._

Kakashi couldn't deny that he wanted it to be from Hyuuga Hinata, and only from her.

_That even a man as tainted as himself couldn't resist.  
_

* * *

It's not over... yet, to those of you who were wondering. Should be a two-shot, though. It's so short that I thought it would be better to just put it in Subtle Differences, rather than making a whole new story. Thinking about it, this could potentially be a DateMe entry for September, haha. Oh well, I can't upload publication onto deviantART, so...

Anyways, tell me what you guys think: Good? Bad?

Reviews are appreciated.


	5. Innocence, cont

Officially, a DateMe entry. It'll be my first challenge :)

Anyways, here's the second part of **Innocence**.

I had a bit of trouble with it, hence why it's being updated four or five days later than the first chapter. Hope you guys do enjoy though :)

* * *

**Innocence, cont...**

The lunch bell rang and doors slid open as students exited them, all chatting excitedly. Kakashi nodded to the few students that always opted to eat in the classroom, rather than venturing out and risk being late to class, before slipping out the door, thoughts on his empty stomach and the bento he had not had time to pack this morning.

Catching sight of a snack machine, Kakashi made his way over to it, stuffing a hand into his pants pocket in search of change. His fingers grasped nothing but air and lint, to his disappointment. Kakashi let a finger slide down the wall of glass separating him from the sugary snacks in the vending machine with a depressed sigh.

_'What a day to not bring any spare change...'_

Scuffing his feet slightly on the polished floors of the school, Kakashi made his way grudgingly out of the school building, intent on grabbing a few rice balls at the nearest convenience store. As he stepped out the side exit door, the faintest hint of pickled vegetables and lightly fried meat hit him, sending all his senses and complaining stomach into overdrive. His nose twitched slightly as he followed the direction of the mouth-watering scent of food, his mouth salivating just the slightest.

His steps led him behind the school, where one could see, from a nice vantage spot, the sports fields. The view was only somewhat obstructed by the large trees that made Konoha High so well-known. Walking curiously, Kakashi examined the famed "dirty and disgusting" back of the school. His eye took in the clean and evenly-mowed grass and the trimmed bushes that bordered the side of school with interest. His steps stopped when his eye finally found a bed of flowers, each placed carefully in their spot, creating a beautiful mix of color. Reds bloomed proudly, yellows swayed with the wind invitingly, whites stood alone, their magnificent heads held up with arrogance.

Kakashi felt his heart stop when he caught sight of a small sprig of delicate, tiny flowers, off to the side in a little group, looking for all the world to be an afterthought, a last-minute decision. Pale lavender petals fluttered in the wind, the thin stems looking like they would snap with even the lightest of blows.

Involuntarily, his mind wandered to _her_, the flowers triggering a forceful reminder. He almost smiled at the thought.

They both shared the same ability to make him stop in his tracks, hopelessly lost in the serenity and beauty of their appearance.

He felt himself take a step closer, a profound feeling niggling at his chest, making him want to more closely observe the beauty that he had accidentally stumbled acro-

_Clunk!_

Kakashi nearly jumped at the surprising noise, but managed to get a hold of himself in time. Turning to face where the loud noise had come from, Kakashi felt his heart leap at the sight that greeted him.

Sitting on concrete steps was the person that had occupied his mind these past few days, the thought of her always sneaking in, images of how her eyes always widened so widely when she was surprised, or how her cheeks would color so brightly when she stammered over a few pieces of text when reading out-loud readings in his class always popping up randomly.

She was doing both of those things right now, the beginnings of a blush starting to color her cheeks as she stared at him in unconcealed shock, a pair of chopsticks halfway raised to her lips. Kakashi noted with interest that a few grains of rice were escaping the shaky grip of her chopsticks... His stomach gave a loud rumble at the thought of food, every single one of his senses reawakening in the presence of it, all packaged neatly in the sleek bento box in the girl's pale, trembling hands.

"K-Kakashi-s-sensei?"

An unsettling sense of deja vu hit him, making the corners of his lips twitch.

"It's a surprise to see anyone back here, Hyuuga-san."

The words from so long ago—had it only been a week?—were altered only slightly and enunciated in the same tone as the one he used before. Kakashi was gratified to see the girl's eyes widen in recognition as she stared at him, but she quickly averted her gaze. She placed her chopsticks unsteadily on the corner of her half-eaten bento box before bowing her head and murmuring a few indistinct words, her hands already in the motion of picking up her things.

Recognizing these actions, Kakashi took a few steps forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to stop her.

Was it wrong of him to notice how his hand nearly engulfed her shoulder?

"You're still eating, right, Hyuuga-san? It's fine if you stay."

The girl shook her head before muttering out a few words. "N-no, it's fine, I w-was just finishing up a-anyways, Kakashi-sensei."

Marveling at the softness of her voice, Kakashi shook his head stubbornly before letting go of her.

"You were still eating. It's better to fill your stomach now, so you won't go hungry later. Wouldn't want your stomach growling during my class, now would we?" he added as an afterthought, chuckling a little when he saw the look of absolute mortification on her face.

The girl wavered for a few seconds before finally releasing a short sigh. She sat down smoothly and opened the bento she had hurriedly packed away, grabbing her chopsticks with precision. Kakashi watched her pick at the white rice that contrasted sharply with the dark color of the bento for a few moments before releasing a frustrated sigh.

Plopping himself next to her, Kakashi pointed at the food in her hands, ignoring the shocked look that crossed the girl's face.

"If you're not going to eat that, it's better not to waste it."

The girl's lips opened before she mutely closed it. She looked at the bento box carefully before turning to look at him, a look of understanding suddenly dawning on her face.

"I-I'm not hungry..." She bit her lips, something Kakashi couldn't help but notice, before continuing. "S-so if you w-want it, Kakashi-sensei... G-go ahead..."

The delicious plate of food before him was too much. Kakashi just couldn't resist the temptation anymore.

"_Thank you,_" he said in an almost breathless tone as he stuffed himself, not even letting the few seconds of saying "Itadakimasu" distract him from this appetizing meal in front of him.

"Y-you're welcome?"

--

His feet were moving of their own accord, ignoring the muted yells ringing in his head.

They were taking the run-down path to the back of the school without his permission, his steps mysteriously light against the dusty ground.

_'This isn't right.'_

He couldn't possibly be feeling hopeful about spending lunch with a teenage girl, one who was barely eighteen, barely adult. One who enjoyed watching a blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy spend his days running soccer drills every day, one who was in the gardening club, one who had marked "teacher" as her career of choice.

One whose eyes were a beautiful shade of lavender, the paleness of them its purest form. One who talked so softly that he had to strain his ears to hear her hesitant words. One who had no qualms about talking to air, letting her voice color it with the innocence of a young girl in love.

One who was currently staring at him, her radiant pale lavender eyes widened in shock, the dark lashes that framed them enhancing the surprised look.

Kakashi felt the protests that were mumbling half-hearted warnings in his head crumble into ashes, the faint wisps of them fading away when he saw the way her lips slowly curved upward into a small, welcoming smile.

Lifting up the small box in his hands, Kakashi grinned, his eye crinkling lightheartedly as he did so.

"I brought my own lunch today."

--

The sky was dreary and overcast, a promise of heavy rains and loud thunderstorms in them. As if to tease, raindrops started splattering against the windows, started pouring onto the grassy areas and into the school grounds.

Kakashi felt his heart drop at the rain. It looked like a lunch with Hinata wasn't possible today...

It was with heavy steps that Kakashi trudged down the stairway, a pout almost on the verge of forming on his lips. The dreary mood that followed him turned sour when he heard loud claps of thunder in the distance. Girls squealed up and down the hallways and were instantly followed by boys' teasing shouts.

Kakashi turned the corner uninterestedly, a hand rubbing at the eye covered by a dark scarf. He looked down the empty hallway curiously, wondering where the students had all gone.

Loud yells suddenly erupted up the stairs, making Kakashi jolt in surprise.

"Hyuuga confessed to Uzumaki!"

"Ehh?! No way!"

Kakashi's eye widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. A sinking feeling settled in his heart, one that made him feel vaguely sick.

Leaning against the cold walls of the school, Kakashi placed a hand over his eyes as he reclined his head back, his silver strands crushed against the off-white walls.

_'So she finally did it...'_

He wasn't jealous, not really. He had known all along that she harbored feelings for the enthusiastic, dense blonde, that much had been revealed in their first, accidental non-instructional meeting.

He wasn't jealous, not really.

The painful thudding of his heart wasn't serious, just a curious symptom the storm had brought. The ragged breaths that escaped his lips didn't mean anything; he was just hungry...

His mind involuntarily brought forth peaceful lunches spent in the calming presence of the stuttering, blushing girl. His lips curved into a small smile as he remembered the way her cheeks would always blush prettily when he complimented the beauty of the garden, and the way her eyes would light up when talking about gardening and the different types of flowers there were, and the way...

His fists clenched painfully, his nails digging deeply into the palms of his hand.

_'Hinata...'_

--

Priceless masterpieces, works of art, awe-inspiring pieces...

As a teacher, Kakashi saw numerous of those, artworks he could admire, but never touch, all in the form of giggling school girls.

He had never been an artistic person, though, so it didn't really matter to him, whether he could touch it or not.

Young blooming flowers in the midst of their youth, as a flamboyant colleague of his had once said, had no appeal to him, were not interesting in the slightest. Their admiring looks made him shiver, their misguided confessions made him sigh.

Yet, with one look, one single innocent gaze, he found himself staring after her, his neck craning to catch the sight of indigo strands flying around a corner. He found himself spending his days thinking about her, his thoughts focused on the way her eyes curved when she giggled, when she laughed, when she tried her hardest to frown indignantly at something provocative he'd said, only to fail miserably. He found himself laughing, in spite of himself, found himself enjoying the company of another person.

Never had Kakashi been so intrigued by a single person, so interested.

It made sense, though, to Kakashi, in a way.

Hyuuga Hinata _wasn't_ a piece of art, something to be admired from afar, never to be touched.

_A child's drawing._

In her was the innocence one could find in the doodles of a child who could hardly hold up a crayon, their pudgy fingers clumsily clutching at it.

She was beautiful, in that way.

Her curious gaze had drawn him in, captured him in a deepening abyss, one that promised him nothing but harsh words and fearsome lawsuits.

Kakashi couldn't find it in himself to _care_ though, not when he was watching her stand lostly, off to the side, her eyes still rimmed red and her cheeks still tear-streaked, drenched in the pouring rain, rejected by the one she had loved for so long. Kakashi didn't know how she could still stand there, could still stand to watch the boy who had casually brushed off her confession, her heart-felt words, with a simple teasing smile, disbelief coloring his every feature.

Her breaths could be seen clearly in the misting rain, their white puffs swirling in the air. Her indigo locks clung to her cheeks in clumps, soaked by the rain, and her clothes hugged her tightly, making her trembling shivers even more pronounced. Her cheeks were flushed darkly, a sure sign of sickness.

Kakashi strode forward, the umbrella in his hands flying open in his haste. His shoes squished in the rain-soaked ground, catching her attention, and an expression of shock slowly settled on her weary features. Pushing past her half-hearted greeting, he thrusted the umbrella into her hands, ignoring the look of confusion on her face as she gripped the handle loosely.

"It's raining."

As if to prove the point, the rain started pouring down even harder. Kakashi stared up at the moody sky for a few seconds before shaking his head, trying to clear up the drops that had landed on his face.

"Y-you need it, though..."

Kakashi smiled at her hesitant words. letting a small hint of amusement cross his face.

"Ah, but I don't need it as much as you do."

The girl flushed as she looked down at herself, seeming to have suddenly realized her drenched state. Looking back up, she stared at him, a hidden question in her pearly, swollen eyes.

_Why?_

Running a hand through his rain-drenched hair, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders vaguely.

"I guess I just don't like to see people crying in the rain."

The girl flinched slightly at his words, probably having thought that the rain would have disguised her heart-breaking tears.

_How naive._

--

Hyuuga Hinata was beautiful, something Kakashi had concluded shortly after their first accidental meeting.

_Beautiful in ways that he just couldn't describe._

Kakashi had fallen, had let her in through the chinks in his walls, and unknowingly, she had found a way into his heart, through her curious gazes, her soft smiles, and her blushing cheeks. In a moment of weakness, he had let his heart feel the warmth of her innocence and gentle spirit.

And there was no way he would step back into the coldness again willingly.

--

Taking a few steps forward, Kakashi suddenly turned around, a questioning smile on his face.

"Why don't we get you changed out of those clothes and get something warm to drink?"

Not waiting for her answer, Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and walked away from the school entrance, thoughts swirling around in his head.

The sound of hesitant footsteps sounded from behind him, making Kakashi smile. The rain that was pattering his head in an increasingly annoying way suddenly disappeared, blocked by a familiar umbrella, one that closely resembled the one he had given away just moments earlier.

"Y-you need it, t-too, Kakashi-sensei," murmured a soft voice at his side. "Or else you'll get s-sick."

_He was feeling so warm all of a sudden._

Noticing how Hinata was standing on the top of her toes to hold up the umbrella to his height, Kakashi took it from her, a small grin growing on his lips.

"Hot chocolate?"

With an embarrassed blush, she nodded, the corner of her pale lavender eyes peering up to look at him, a faint smile on her lips.

"W-with marshmallows?"

_So mysteriously warm._

Kakashi ruffled her soaked hair with an amused crease in his eye.

"With marshmallows."


	6. The Lake of Love

This came to mind after finding the lyrics to Inoue Kazuhiko's (Kakashi's seiyuu or voice actor) song, "Ai no Mizuumi." Englishi Translation: "The Lake of Love."

_For those I believe in, I can change my shape  
A deep pure love can even become the ocean  
Embracing it like a cradle the waves glisten~_

Reading that, I instantly thought of Hinata's love for Naruto and how she would do anything for him, even change herself, as we've witnessed in her battle against Neji. Anyways, this is one-sided NaruHina, slight KakaHina.

Thanks for everyone's amazing reviews :)

* * *

**The Lake of Love**

Hinata watched the fierce battle end, the loser on the ground heavily beat up and the winner standing triumphantly above him with a wide grin splitting his face in two. Hinata cheered inwardly for her crush's amazing comeback before instantly scolding herself, knowing that Kiba and Akamaru were hurt and were probably in immense pain.

Sobered by that fact, Hinata reached into her weapons pouch, her fingers searching for the tubs of medicinal cream she had packed a few days earlier… Her body froze when she saw blonde spiky hair approaching from her peripheral vision. Inhaling shakily, her hand grasped around her spare container tightly as she heard sandaled feet pad even closer. Licking her dry lips, Hinata took a wobbly step forward, a single word escaping the confines of her mouth.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

Bright blue eyes suddenly turned to focus on her, the directness in them making her cheeks color darkly. Bowing her head embarrassedly, Hinata held out the medicinal cream, her eyes shut and her heart pounding erratically in her rib cage.

_Ba-dump. _

_Ba-dump._

"Take it, Naruto," she heard Kurenai-sensei say quietly.

"Oh… Okay. Thanks!"

Hinata walked down the steps with a soft smile etched on her face. Just before she reached the bottom, she looked down at her hands, blushing as she remembered the warmth Naruto had passed along to her when he accidentally brushed his fingers against hers.

* * *

"He's leaving today, Hinata-sama," said Neji as he spun away from her vicious attack. "Are you not going to see him off?"

Taking deep, controlled breaths from her place crouched on the ground, Hinata shook her head with a slight smile on her lips.

"Why should I?" she asked quietly as she stood back up to slide into her preferred fighting stance. "When I can see h-him when he returns, stronger and more e-experienced?"

"Indeed," murmured her cousin as he flew towards her, his palms alight in chakra.

* * *

Hinata could feel her eyes start to sting from the massive amount of chakra she was pouring into them, but for the life of her, she couldn't find it in herself to care.

"Can you see anything?" asked Naruto desperately from her side.

Hinata didn't have to turn to see the blonde's intense stare as he looked forward, his azure eyes trying, and failing, to see ahead through the thick clouds of dust that obscured her team's sight.

"No," she said softly. Her eyes didn't fail to catch the look of disappointment that clouded her crush's face as he looked away and fell back to sprint in time with Sakura.

"I… I'm sorry," she murmured, frustration just barely hinted in her quiet apology.

"You don't have to be," she heard a voice from behind her say. Her sharp eyes picked up on her captain and the warm smile that was conveyed in his single visible eye. "Just give us the best you can do, and it'll be fine."

Blinking in astonishment at her commanding captain's unexpected words of encouragement, Hinata nearly missed the next tree branch. Catching hold of herself just in time to land smoothly, she waited a second, letting the others jump ahead of her, before leaping in time with her captain.

"Thank you," she whispered as she passed his lean form.

The man smiled in acknowledgment as Hinata channeled more chakra into her eyes. Ignoring the slight burn that accompanied her surge of chakra, Hinata scanned the distant area ahead of her, her eyes instantly landing on the massive amounts of chakra that was filling the air.

"I-I see black flames… ten kilometers ahead."

* * *

"I won't let you lay another finger on Naruto-kun!"

The look on the man's face as he drew back against her push of wind made shivers run down her spine, but she continued to walk on firmly, her sandals light on the ground as she prepared herself for any sudden attacks.

"W-what are you doing here, Hinata?"

Naruto's hoarse voice nearly broke her heart, the underlying weakness in it creating the thinnest of cracks.

"I… came here because I wanted to," she said as she walked towards him. "I'm just being selfish, I know…"

Coming to a stop in front of Naruto, Hinata silently activated her byakugan and shifted into a comfortable stance.

"What the hell are you saying?" yelled Naruto from his place pinned to the ground.

Hinata regarded the emotionless man observing her blankly, the dark rings in his eyes flashing the slightest when she let a faint smile overtake her lips. His face set into a firm mask, the imperceptible twitch in his eyebrow telling her all she needed to know.

_I'm going to die today._

"I... was always chasing after you, Naruto-kun," she admitted with a self-deprecating smile. "I wanted to talk to you… I wanted to… walk beside you."

Her hand slid up fluidly as she tested the ground at her feet, looking for a solid path forward.

"W-what… what are you saying?" rasped out Naruto from behind her.

"Your smile saved me, Naruto-kun, saved me from who I could've been… would've been."

Hinata looked up towards the sky for a fleeting second, memorizing the pattern of the pure white clouds dotting the vibrant sky. She took in the surrounding area, telling herself that it was Konoha, no matter how in shambles it was, and she breathed in deeply, tasting the cool air with her tongue.

"I'm not afraid," she murmured as she closed her eyes tightly. "I'm not afraid to die… protecting you."

Forcing her eyes open, she finally found the courage to search for Naruto's face with her byakugan. Upon seeing the look of shock on his face, Hinata felt a small smile cross her face. Concentrating chakra to her palms, Hinata breathed out her last words, hoping that he heard them.

"Because… I love you."

Finishing with the three words she had struggled with all her teenage years, Hinata rushed forward, all her thoughts thrown out to the wind as she ran towards her opponent and certain death.

* * *

Naruto's dark blue eyes stared intensely into hers before they dropped as he bowed his head deeply before her.

"I'm sorry, Hinata… but… I… I love Sakura-chan… and no one else. I can't—"

Despite already knowing the outcome of a 'private conversation' with Naruto behind the Hokage's Tower and the answer to her spur-of-the-moment confession months earlier, the warm tears that escaped her eyes just wouldn't stop.

"I u-understand, N-Naruto-kun," she mumbled through her dry tongue as she hurriedly wiped away her tears. "I-I already knew you l-loved Sakura-chan…"

Not being able to stand in the presence of rejection any longer, Hinata fled the area, making sure to cover her tracks so she would be left… undisturbed.

A tremulous sob shook her body as she finally found an empty clearing in the middle of Konoha's vast forest. Flinging herself down at the roots of a tree, Hinata hugged herself as she sobbed into her jacket, soaking the purple sleeves with wet, salty tears.

_He doesn't love me…_

_He never will…_

"H-he doesn't love m-me," she coughed out in despair.

A rivulet of tears streamed down her cheeks as her heart twisted itself in painful knots, the pain sending jarring jolts through out her body.

"I-I never had a ch-chance," she whispered before her body was once again overtaken with body-wracking sobs.

* * *

Hinata lay on her back as she stared listlessly at the dark sky and the twinkling stars that decorated it. Her swollen eyes fluttered shut as her breath came out slowly and deeply.

"I-I was stupid… to think that he would r-return my f-feelings," she muttered miserably.

"So you say."

Hinata's eyes snapped open as she drew herself up shakily into a fighting stance. Lifting up a hand to settle into a stance, she blinked in alarm when she realized how weak her limbs felt.

"You must have cried a lot if you can't even settle into a proper stance," observed the voice.

Biting her lip, Hinata quickly activated her byakugan as she rasped out, "Who a-are you?"

Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a familiar lax figure leaning against a tree, the person's forehead protector glinting from the starlight that was shining upon it.

"Naruto can be a bit dense," murmured the person as he pushed off the tree to shuffle towards the village. His footsteps stopped as he turned to face her, the expression in his eye clearly visible due to her bloodline limit. "But then again, you probably already know that, don't you?"

Hinata looked away from the man's gaze, deactivating her byakugan as she did so. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she nodded, the faint memories of the blonde's many mishaps and naïve questions coming to mind. A soft smile reluctantly made its way to her lips.

"So you see," continued the man, "He sometimes says wrong things in certain situations. The things he say can hurt a person, can wound them fatally, but he really does mean well." The sound of footsteps reached Hinata's ears as she watched the tall figure start to walk away.

"It's up to the person to see if they can forgive him or not."

"Forgive," mouthed Hinata uncertainly.

_But… what is there to forgive?_

Her feelings for him were purely one-sided; she had known that ever since the innocent academy days when a blonde-haired boy would follow an emerald-eyed girl endlessly, always asking for dates no matter how many times she rejected or how violently she turned him down…

"Wait," she whispered to the retreating back. "W-wait, please," her parched throat rasped out.

Forcing her feet to move despite the crippling weakness in them, Hinata stumbled forward, grasping onto the nearest tree trunk desperately. Breathing in deeply, Hinata pushed herself and managed to take a few weak steps.

"Wait, p-please," she mumbled one last time before a dizzying feeling overtook her. Forcing it away, she pitched herself forward, only to trip over a tree root. Falling weakly to the ground and not having the strength of mind nor will to keep conscious, Hinata didn't fight against the overwhelming dizziness and let darkness overtake her.

**x-x-x**

_"I'm so sorry, Hinata. I... shouldn't have let you leave like that. L-look, now you're in the hospital and..."  
_

His words were still fresh in her mind, the hurt and agony in his face forever engraved into her memory.

Turning the corner of the white hospital hallway, Hinata's eyes searched for the familiar figure of her cap-.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hmm?" murmured a distracted voice. The silver-haired man, who had been preoccupied with reading his literature, turned to face her, a curious expression in his single visible feature. "Hinata?"

Grasping onto the stray ends of the determination that had led her here to face the man who she hoped would—_no, don't think about that, not yet_—Hinata kneeled down before him, her forehead brushing against the cold floors of Konoha's hospital.

"Please... train me."

* * *

"Do you wish to sign this treaty with the Sound?" asked Uchiha Sasuke, not even a single emotion inflected in his tone.

The blonde Hokage facing him frowned, his forehead knitting together in frustration. "Look, Sasuke, we're friends and all, but don't you think the terms are a bit... unfair." A tanned digit pointed to the scroll both men were currently facing. "Don't come near Sound's borders; don't even think about trying to breach our borders; don't even try to breathe when in the vicinity of the Kage of Sound, etc. I mean, come on, Sasuke, we're trying to make a treaty, not a stupid gang alliance."

The Uchiha was quiet as he, too, scanned over the treaty. His dark eyes flashed in recognition before whisking up the scroll with lightning speed.

"Wrong one," he murmured as he withdrew a different scroll. "That one was for when you decided to visit."

Two lean figures observed the two former teammates as they haggled over what was 'fair' and 'not fair' with amused grins on their faces, their expressions hidden behind porcelain masks. The two ANBU turned to look at each other before silently nodding. With a hand seal, both disappeared noiselessly.

"It looks like the negotiations won't be finished any time soon," concluded the silver-haired ANBU as he took off his mask, only to reveal another mask underneath it.

The young woman beside him nodded, a slight smile still on her lips, as she released her indigo hair from the stiff ponytail she donned for ANBU purposes.

"It's nice to see that the two are starting to banter like they used to, though."

The man nodded, only to quickly wield a kunai when a loud yell was heard from the Hokage's Office. With an affirmative look from his partner, the man rushed in, his kunai held lightly between gloved fingers. He blinked when he opened the door only to see the Hokage cradling his hand and Uchiha Sasuke sporting a slight smirk on his pale features.

"...is there something wrong, Hokage-sama?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kakashi," growled the blonde. He pointed a trembling finger at the raven-haired man accusingly with narrowed eyes. "_'_Cept that bastard just gave me the most painful hand shake ever!"

"It was just a small shock," said the Uchiha nonchalantly as he examined his hand. "I don't really want a treaty with a village whose Kage can't even take a little lightning."

"T-teme! It was a freaking Chidori in disguise, damn it!"

Kakashi looked between his two former students with indecision before shaking his head and walking out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. His Hyuuga partner sent him a questioning look before also shaking her head, the slow upturn of her lips betraying her amusement.

Three hours later the two Kages walked outside the door, both looking worse for the wear and considerably more exhausted than when they had first walked in earlier that day.

The blonde Kage lifted up a wrinkled scroll with a yawn and tapped it. "Treaty," he mumbled.

Loud exclaims went up in the air as all of the former Konoha Eleven cheered, save for the more reserved ones. From the side, a dehydrated-looking Suigetsu nodded as he exchanged looks with Sasuke and trailed down the hallway, slinking into a door labeled 'Restroom.'

Kakashi and his partner observed the celebrating shinobi from their place in the shadows, both keeping a close eye on their Hokage and the Sound Kage.

The blonde suddenly broke through the crowd to grab a pinkette by the arm, dragging her with him towards Uchiha Sasuke.

"Let's go get a drink together... to celebrate the return of Team Seven," said the Hokage solemnly, his dark blue eyes silently questioning the rigid Uchiha. After what seemed like an eternity—in which all the shinobi gathered in the room watched with bated breaths, a few with their hands casually over their weapons pouch—the Uchiha gave a slight nod.

Tension was released as quickly as a pin poking a balloon.

"Great," said Naruto with an easy grin. "Let's go, then!" He took a few steps before blinking and turning around, his eyes discretely scanning the corner where the two ANBU were situated, a quiet invitation in his dark blue orbs.

Kakashi turned to his partner, not at all surprised to see her shake her head. With a 'what-can-you-say?' shrug of his shoulders, Kakashi nodded when the blonde gave them the 'OK' to leave their active duty positions. Two dark shadows suddenly entered the vast lobby, the two animal masks nodding to him and his partner in greeting and dismissal.

With their own nods in return, he and his partner exited the building, the tenseness in their limbs instantly relaxing as the crispness of the changing seasons hit their bare skin.

Taking off his porcelain mask for the final time, Kakashi turned to look at his female partner. A silent message was quickly exchanged between the two. Nodding, Kakashi lifted up two stiff fingers and made a hand seal, disappearing in a poof of smoke.

**x-x-x**

"Ramen's the best!" yelled the blonde Hokage as he slammed down his fifth bowl.

The pink-haired medic at his side rolled her eyes. "You're staining your Kage robes," she pointed out distastefully.

"You're eating like a child," murmured the Uchiha to the blonde's right as he took a sip from his glass of water.

"You guys just don't understand," sighed Naruto with a hand over his heart. "Ramen is the food for the soul, I swear. Re-energizing, refreshing, refilling..."

Lifting a clear glass to her lips, Hinata observed the scene, her keen eyes intensely focused on the two helpers assisting Teuchi-san, watching for any sudden movements that could be potentially harmful to the Hokage and his former team.

"You're off-duty," said her partner as he sat down at the table across from her. "And on a date."

"Date?" asked Hinata as she tore her eyes away from the trio to turn to face the silver-haired nin who was currently engaged in reading his book. "Was this a 'date'?"

The masked man nodded as he turned a page. "Yes, during our silent agreement to meet up to further observe Team Seven, your shining eyes told me that you wished to make this a meeting where we could share our deepest secrets over a splendid meal of well-cooked barbecue and sake, which, of course, means a date."

Hinata blinked slowly at the man and his misguided conclusion before wincing slightly when Kakashi closed his book with a loud 'snap'.

"So are you ready to start this 'date'?" asked the silver-haired man as he propped an elbow on the table, prompting Hinata to notice, for the first time since Kakashi's arrival, the navy blue set of hakama and haori he was wearing. In unconcealed shock, despite her many years spent mastering her facial expressions, Hinata openly gaped at Kakashi's formal wear.

"D-date?" she asked hollowly, this time without the joking tone. "Y-you mean..."

"So this wasn't a date?" asked her ANBU partner with a light voice. "Well, then, maybe I read your expression wrong." Kakashi motioned to the waiter with a raise of his hand. "Since we're here, though, we might as well make the most of it."

Hearing a loud exclamation from across the street, Hinata turned rapidly to access the situation, only to relax when she saw Sakura pounding Naruto's back with fierce slaps to help with his choking. She observed the scene for a few seconds before turning slowly to face the man who was currently staring at her with an unfathomable expression in his eye.

"Yes?"

Kakashi smiled and shook his head, motioning to the menu that had been placed in front of her while she'd been distracted. "What would you like to eat?"

Blinking slowly, Hinata lifted the menu up to see the choices of meat before looking up hesitantly at Kakashi.

"Beef."

The night passed by quickly for Hinata, most of it spent enjoying a warm meal with her ANBU partner and occasionally checking on the two Kages and pink-haired medic.

**x-x-x**

With a small frown, Hinata's steps came to a stop in front of her apartment house. In a quiet voice, Hinata turned to look at the man walking beside her and asked, "I guess... this is good night?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," replied Kakashi as he pocketed the book he had been holding.

Hinata stood between her doorsteps and Kakashi with indecision as words built up on her lips, only to be pushed back with forceful restraint. Taking a hesitant step forward, Hinata finally felt her restraint break, her mind losing against her heart in a fierce battle. Turning around rapidly, words poured out of her mouth, her hot breaths creating thin swirls in the chilly night.

"Tonight wasn't... a d-date."

Years of reading Kakashi's emotions without the use of his facial expressions made the disappointment in the lines of his body show clearly to Hinata, his rein on his emotions breaking momentarily due to her words. Clenching her fists tightly, Hinata inhaled lightly, so as not to lose her nerve, before continuing.

"Dates... should be confirmed by both parties. Next time... I don't want to be the only one not knowing."

Turning around to face her apartment door, Hinata took a step forward, stopping only to utter her last words.

"Tomorrow we're both off-duty... So, d-do you want to have breakfast together?"

It was deathly quiet as Hinata stood there, stock-still, her heart beating rapidly in its confines, and Kakashi silently taking in her words. When the silence continued to persist for a few more minutes, Hinata finally lost her nerve and turned around, ready to smile and laugh it off, as she and Kakashi were opt to do whenever an awkward silence would occur between the two.

_Which hasn't happened in years,_ Hinata mentally recounted.

"As a date?"

Her mouth half-open, Hinata blinked at Kakashi's unexpected question.

"W-what?" she asked, caught off guard.

"As a date?" repeated the man in a quiet voice.

Hinata nodded slowly as she fervently wished for her ANBU mask so that the light blush that was worming its way to her cheeks wouldn't be so obvious.

Her ANBU partner blinked before smiling, his eye creasing in the action. "Which means we've both confirmed it?"

Feeling a slow smile start to overtake her lips, Hinata nodded. "Yes."

"Good," said the man simply. Raising up his hand, he sent her a cheery wave before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

With a smile still on her lips, Hinata turned to enter her apartment, only to see a strange sight from the corner of her eyes. Blinking curiously at a mysterious piece of paper laying where Kakashi had previously been standing, Hinata picked it up, her eyes quickly scanning it over for its contents, ANBU protocol instantly planting suspicion in the back of her mind.

_Actually, I didn't think it was a date, either. You looked too beautiful for it to not__ be a hallucination._

Her cheeks flushed darkly as heat flooded her face, the messy scrawl on the piece of paper making her heart beat erratically. Noticing that the other side wasn't blank, Hinata swiftly turned it around.

_9:00  
_

Hinata lifted a hand to her face, pressing her calloused fingers against her curving lips.

_I won't be late._

* * *

**End.**

_For those I believe in, I can change my shape  
A deep pure love can even become the ocean  
Embracing it like a cradle the waves glisten~_


End file.
